Leonard Rossiter.com: Career - Cinzano "...suffused with herbs and spices from four continents..." One of the greatest advertising campaigns in British television history, the Cinzano ads saw a perfect pairing of leading actor and actress, performing brilliantly-written 30-second masterpieces of comedy. Leonard played the pretentious oaf, ostentation personified, against Joan Collins’ prim, straight-laced lady-of-society, Melissa. All ten commercials revolved around the old music-hall trick of the bungling fool always finding a way to, inadvertently of course, throw his drink over the girl, and never realising he had done it. During the mid-1970s the Italian drinks manufacturer Martini was busy marketing their product, specifically aimed at the younger generation. Their adverts featured trendy, wealthy, twenty-somethings on private beaches, private yachts, and basically enjoying a lifestyle not accessible to the vast majority of their audience. Cinzano decided to make a humorous spoof on these commercials. Sean Connery and Woody Allen were pencilled in to be the stars, but when top British film director Alan Parker was brought in to direct the first three, the scripts were quickly discarded.

(It is interesting to note, however, that the success of the Cinzano adverts actually resulted in an increase in the sales of Martini, as people were so engrossed in the commercials, they forgot what product the stars were advertising and, as Martini was the market leader, it was assumed this was the product being promoted). It was Parker and art director Ron Collins who cast Leonard and Joan, via the Collett, Dickenson, Pearse & Partners advertising agency, a company with a reputation for using celebrities. The company had previously used Leonard Rossiter for a Parker Pens' commercial in 1977, in which he played a traffic warden. “I remember going round to Leonard's house," Parker recalls, "and we agreed the scripts were absolute rubbish. So Leonard said 'What I'd like to do is the old music-hall joke', and we said 'What's that?', so he picked up his cup of tea as we were sitting there in his living room, and he looked at his watch, turning the cup over. And we said 'Yeah, that'll be a good joke, especially if it happens to be Joan Collins you're spilling it on!' “.

The first commercial, promoting the launch of the first of the Cinzano family of vermouth aperitifs, Cinzano Bianco, was broadcast during 1978, and was an instant success. Alan Parker directed the next two commercials, launching Cinzano Rose and Cinzano Secco, with art direction again by Ron Collins. Leonard choreographed his every move and had much involvement in the scripts and gags. By the end of 1979, the ads had become firm favourites with the viewing public, who never tired of seeing them over and over again. Joan Collins remembers: "When ITV went on strike viewers wrote in complaining not about the lack of programmes but about not being able to see Joan and Leonard!". But the best was yet to come. The two actors were reported to be paid £30,000 each for the series of commercials. Hugh Hudson stepped in to direct the next two ads, possibly the most memorable of the ten that were made - Airliner and Ski Lodge.

Airliner saw the two actors on board an aircraft and, after a near-miss for Melissa when Leonard crosses his legs, sending his seat table flying, she finally gets her soaking when he accidentally hits her seat recline button while she is about to sip her Cinzano. Ski Lodge has an Alpine setting in which the bungling buffoon blusters his way through the bar to Melissa, sending two skiers with legs already in plaster into fits of agony. Within twelve months two more classics were made, directed by Paul Weiland: Roller Disco and Balcony (in the latter, pictured right, Leonard laments Melissa's absence, little knowing that the Cinzano pouring from the bottle over his hotel balcony is raining down on a bikini-clad Melissa on the balcony below). These had such popular appeal that in 1981 there was talk of a feature film. Of course, this would have had to involve some kind of relationship between Leonard and Melissa, whereas the commercials portrayed no relationship whatsoever - he merely wanted her to think he was 'in the in-crowd'.

As Leonard himself said in an interview with the Sunday Mirror: "If the scripts for the film that we make together were to be 10% funny and 90% romantic, it would deny the expectations of the audience. It is the fact that we are so disparate that makes us interesting and intriguing. In the film, if the girl were a scrubber it wouldn't work. And it wouldn't work if I were upper-crust." So the idea for a film was scrapped, and the British public were instead treated to Mime, the eighth Cinzano commercial, this time under the direction of Peter Levelle. In 1983, Cinzano's manufacturers decided to focus on a global promotional strategy, rather than country-specific, and so the UK adverts ended - but not before two final gems graced our screens. In 1982, Tiger's Head (pictured below) saw Leonard jump with fright after placing his foot into the mouth of a tiger-skin's head hearth rug, jerking his cold collation, as usual, down Melissa's cleavage.

They were entertaining three Japanese businessmen at the time and, thinking the unusual deposit was some kind of formal greeting - and not wanting to offend their hosts - the visitors promptly followed suit, jumping in the air and throwing their Cinzanos over Melissa's bosom. The final commercial, made in 1983, was called Dragoon, and took place at a high society fancy dress ball. Leonard mistakes someone else for Melissa. When she does arrive, he tells her she has a double, and promptly disposes two shakes of his drink down her cleavage. These last two adverts were directed by Terry Lovelock: "There was great respect between them", Terry recalls. "They worked together wonderfully well, and it was a very successful campaign." Off-screen, it has to be said that there was at least some friction between the two actors. Leonard's tendency to 'take charge' in a production no doubt caused some conflicts between himself and his leading lady. In a 1984 TV interview, Leonard is asked how he got on with Joan. He replies: "We got on very well.. Well, not very well.

We got on quite well." As if to cement the Cinzano commercials in the British television Hall of Fame, the British viewers voted the ads Favourite Commercial in the TVTimes Top Ten Awards for 1983, and Leonard himself won an award for Best Actor In A Commercial. For a storyline which was basically the same in every commercial, with only the situations changing from one ad to the next, the Cinzano ads were one of the greatest - and most successful - television promotional campaigns of all time. As director Alan Parker says: "It worked. Boy did it work. There was a period of time when the commercials were far and away the most interesting thing you could see that evening on television. They were infinitely more entertaining than any of the programmes in those days." Cinzano Airline TV Advert - Joan Collins & Leonard Rossiter - YouTube Cinzano Airline TV Advert - Joan Collins & Leonard Rossiter Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Published on Apr 17, 2013 The classic TV advertisement (1978). Remastered HD. "The Cinzano series of commercials created an unlikely partnership between Rising Damp star Leonard Rossiter and actress Joan Collins. In 'Airliner' we saw the stars aboard an aircraft in which a bumbling Rossiter accidentally pushes the seat recline button of the prudish Melissa (Collins) as she is about to sip her drink. Perfectly timed and skilfully written, the not-quite-slapstick mocked the 'sensationalised' drink commercials of other brands aimed at a younger generation. It was Rossiter who suggested to director Alan Parker the idea of using the old music-hall joke of spilling one's tea - the premise of each of the 10 commercials. He was regularly involved in the choreography and gag lines, often referring to Joan as 'the prop'. By 1981, the ads had become so popular there were rumours of a feature film. But the campaign ended in 1983 when Cinzano decided to take a global marketing route.

The mini-films were comedy classics and just as entertaining, if not more so, than the programmes around which they appeared. However, the story goes that sales of rival brand Martini soared as viewers presumed it was the drink being promoted... Remembering those great Cinzano TV Adverts | Red C Marketing Remembering those great Cinzano TV Adverts a b c j Produced since 1757, Cinzano vermouth has a long history of producing refreshing beverages and Saturday-morning hangovers. This Italian brand came to prominence in Britain through an intelligent ad campaign that debuted in 1978, starring an unlikely but superb duo of the sultry Joan Collins and Leonard Rossiter, who starred as the miserly landlord Rigsby in the popular TV series Rising Damp. Perhaps most importantly, once Cinzano found a winning formula, they recognised it and stuck with it. The ads were built on a witty repertoire, which still managed to incorporate pleasant descriptions of the drink (thus highlighting Cinzano’s USP), whilst keeping viewers entertained. In virtually every advert, Rossiter’s character describes Cinzano’s virtues in a cultured, slightly pretentious fashion, before inevitably spilling the drink onto Collins.

In perhaps the finest advert, visiting Japanese businessmen hear Rossiter speak of the tradition of Cinzano, before spilling the drink on Collins – which the businessmen all do in the spirit of ‘tradition’. It’s a premise that has become synonymous with Cinzano’s advertising, and the accidents frequently come from Rossiter’s distraction at describing the many virtues of Cinzano – again a subtle way of promoting the unique selling point of the fruity beverage. Over 35 years later, the fresh dialogue and the artful praising of a product without appearing pushy or dull, marks the Cinzano campaign out as one of the most intelligently concepted and executed TV ad campaigns of all time. The nostalgia which surrounds these advert is not misplaced – whilst stunning visual effects and groundbreaking concepts have continued to develop in advertising, Cinzano’s superb 1970s campaign is proof that good dialogue, star chemistry and subtlety can be the key components for a successful campaign. CDP Classic ads - Cinzano (1978 - 1983) - YouTube CDP Classic ads - Cinzano (1978 - 1983) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist.

Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on May 27, 2007 The late, and truly great Leonard Rossiter stars with Joan Collins in these four Cinzano commercials spanning the years 1978 to 1983. True classics. From the advertising agency Collett Dickenson Pearce (CDP) Category Joan Collins "I remember..." | Celebrities, Danny Scott, I Remember | Reader's Digest Joan Collins "I remember..." Celebrated British actress Joan Collins tells Danny Scott about her life in the limelight. I REMEMBER... …how warm and tender my mother Elsa was How much she cared about her children and how happy she was to be a wife and mother. But she was very strict about manners and diet: eat your greens and sweets only as a treat. She was in charge of everything in our home in Bayswater [London]—a domestic goddess.

…the house was always full of singers, actors and comedians My father Joe was a theatrical agent; and my grandmother Hettie, a singer and dancer who entertained the troops in the Boer War. I suppose showbiz was in my blood. But Dad was dead set against me going into the “profession”. He said that most of the people he knew were “vulgar, common and course”. He was worried that I’d end up just like them! …appearing on stage for the very first time Despite my father’s reservations—he wanted me to go to secretarial school and find a husband—I pestered my parents so much that I was eventually enrolled at the Cone-Ripman theatrical school in London aged around 12 in 1945. We did acting, singing and dancing, and I loved it! One day, I was told that I’d been picked for a role in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House at the Arts Theatre in London. I was going to be on stage! I suppose that was the start of it all. …going to Hollywood I made my first British movie at 17 [The Woman’s Angle] after a year and a half at RADA.

Then, at 20, I was whisked off to Hollywood [Joan’s first American film was The Virgin Queen]. I arrived at the end of the golden era; the gilt was just beginning to tarnish, but it still seemed incredibly glamorous. Suddenly, I was meeting people like Bob Hope, Lana Turner and Marilyn Monroe. My favourite was Gene Kelly. I’d always loved his films and when I met him, he was so wonderful to me. He sort of took me under his wing and used to invite me to his house. There I was, chatting to Gene, Marlon Brando and Paul Newman. Looking back, it seems absolutely incredible, but at the time I just thought it was perfectly natural. I was an actress and this is what actresses do. …my agent called me and said, “do you want to be in Dynasty?” I said, “What’s Dynasty?” Back then, I was a jobbing actress and the show was just another gig. I found out that Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor had turned down the role of Alexis Carrington, but I read a script and thought, Yeah, this sounds like fun. For my career, it was a total game-changer.

I seemed to be flavour of the month for the rest of the 1980s. …Alexis’s look was something that I created At first, they wanted to dress her in little suits with Peter Pan collars, short hair and a beret, which didn’t feel right to me. I got a Golden Globe for the role in 1983, which I was obviously thrilled about, but I was at a party with my friend Billy Wilder and he said to me: “Joan, awards are like haemorrhoids. Eventually, every a**hole gets one!” …getting married five times, but finally getting it right I first met Percy [Gibson, a theatre manager] in 2000 at a book signing and we became friends long before anything occurred between us. To be honest, neither of us was looking for romance, but it just sort of happened. I was worried a bit at first, but those worries didn’t last. The age gap? Look, once people get towards their 50s [Percy is 48; Joan is 80], they more or less all end up on the same path.

Percy and I (left) share the same outlook on life—he is my soulmate. Just the other night, we sat in watching a Breaking Bad box set and I thought to myself, Being with him feels so right. ...Working with Elizabeth Taylor on her last film We didn’t know it at the time, but Those Old Broads in 2001, with Debbie Reynolds and Shirley MacLaine, turned out to be her final outing. She wasn’t well—she had to be helped and held up a lot of the time. But what a trouper! She just got on with the job. If you read some of those inaccurate biographies out there, you’ll see that, as a youngster, I was touted as the “new Elizabeth Taylor”. Not true. If anything, I was supposed to be Britain’s answer to Ava Gardner. The critics said I was exotic, smouldering and sexy. They called me a “coffee bar Jezebel”. …poking fun at myself in the recent Snickers advert Look, if I don’t send up Joan Collins—The Diva—then somebody else will. I wanted to get in there first. I always have a lot of fun doing adverts.

Some people may remember the Cinzano ones I did in the 1970s and 80s, with Leonard Rossiter. I didn’t find this out until after he died, but apparently Leonard used to refer to me as “the prop”. As soon as it was time for filming, he’d say, “Where is she? Bring on the prop.” …falling in love with Saint-Tropez I first went to the south of France when I was 15. I stayed with my Aunt Lalla and Uncle Godfrey in Cannes and just adored the climate, the food, the people…everything. Then in the 1970s, I went to Saint-Tropez, which I liked so much that I decided to buy a house there. I’m actually about 20 minutes outside the town, in a small village surrounded by mountains and looking out over that beautiful blue sea. A lot of my life is about cities and hustle and bustle, but when I’m there, I feel far away from all of that. It’s a place where I find peace. …deciding to launch my own skincare range It’s something I’ve thought about many times since the Dynasty days.

I guess I’ve been in so many make-up chairs over the years that I eventually realised how important make-up and skincare are to a woman’s armoury. I never leave the house without my “slap”. My range is for any woman who wants to look good when they’re older. Sadly, that’s a concept which has been much maligned over the years. But women have been using make-up and looking after their skin for thousands of years. Surely it’s nothing to be ashamed of? I mean, Cleopatra used to bathe in asses’ milk. Joan’s Timeless Beauty cosmetics and skin-care range is available at joancollinsbeauty.com and qvcuk.com . Ron Collins obituary | Media | The Guardian Ron Collins obituary Advertising creative known for the Cinzano television campaign Ron Collins was the epitome of an adman.

Monday 21 March 2011 14.29 EDT First published on Monday 21 March 2011 14.29 EDT Share on Messenger Close Ron Collins, who has died aged 72, was one of the most successful creators of TV ads during the heyday of British advertising in the 1970s and 80s. He was perhaps best known for his long-running series for Cinzano in which the actor Leonard Rossiter invariably spilt his drink over an immaculately dressed Joan Collins. Initially directed by Alan Parker, the advertisements ran from 1978 until 1983. Collins created the Cinzano series while at the Collett Dickenson Pearce (CDP) agency. In 1979, he left CDP to co-found Wight Collins Rutherford Scott, which became and remains a major player in the industry, now part of Engine.

As a "creative", the industry jargon for a creative director, at WCRS, he helped put on our screens the "Ultimate Driving Machine" advertisements for BMW and the "I'll bet he drinks Carling Black Label" series, which massively boosted Carling's lager sales. Collins's ads for Qualcast lawn mowers – with his slogan "It's a lot less bovver than a hover" – led to what the Sun newspaper dubbed "the Great Lawnmower War" in 1983 after Qualcast's rivals, Flymo, who produced hover mowers, complained that Collins's campaign was unfair. "There is no bother with our hover," Flymo insisted, "and we have two Queen's Awards to Industry in the past year to prove it." The controversy was right up Collins's street. He was the epitome of the 1980s adman, admired and considered heartless in pretty much equal measure by colleagues and clients, but always focused on making their products sell. Genius, difficult, irreverent and cruel were among adjectives they used to describe him.

His genius made him a young multimillionaire, but he lost much of his fortune through a spendthrift lifestyle and a poor understand- ing of investments. Collins was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, and attended Leeds College of Art before graduating from the Royal College of Art in London, where he was influenced by the fledgling pop art of David Hockney and Peter Blake. His first job was in the design studio of the Ford car plant in Dagenham, Essex, before he moved on to Saatchi & Saatchi and eventually CDP under its managing director Frank Lowe. He won his first awards for ads for Clarks shoes and Jaffa oranges. Ironically, although the Cinzano series for CDP became something of a national institution, it also increased sales for Cinzano's arch-rivals, Martini, since consumers focused more on Rossiter and Collins than on the product name. It was on the back of his Cinzano success that Collins co-founded WCRS.

Such was the buzz in the industry over this new all-star breakaway agency that the four founders were forced to rent a suite in the Grosvenor House hotel in London to use as an address and phone number before they had time to get their own premises. Collins's co-founder Robin Wight recalled: "Our wives used to bring us picnic lunches because we couldn't afford the hotel's room service and Ron used to give the switchboard girls weekly bottles of champagne for putting would-be clients through to what was an almost-unpronounceable name – Wight Collins Rutherford Scott." Collins was twice divorced and is survived by his partner, Maryse, and his children, Damon, Lois, Joel, Elliott and Daniel.

• Ron Collins, advertising art director, born 1 January 1939; died 7 February 2011 For mash get Smash, for ham get Spam: nostalgia puts 70s brands back in shops | Business | The Guardian For mash get Smash, for ham get Spam: nostalgia puts 70s brands back in shops · 30 to 45-year-olds trigger comeback for kitsch foods · Old favourites relaunched with healthier recipes A still from the Smash TV campaign of 1974 featuring laughing Martian robots. Photograph: Public domain For mash get Smash, for ham get Spam: nostalgia puts 70s brands back in shops · 30 to 45-year-olds trigger comeback for kitsch foods · Old favourites relaunched with healthier recipes Wednesday 27 September 2006 05.57 EDT First published on Wednesday 27 September 2006 05.57 EDT Share on Messenger Close It was one of the staple foods of the 1970s, a teatime favourite alongside sliced Spam, Alphabetti Spaghetti and Angel Delight.

Now Smash, the freeze-dried potato product marketed on TV by a group of laughing Martian robots, is back. Premier Foods, which owns the brand, is relaunching it with a new, healthier recipe and an additional range of flavours. It is not the only kitsch classic brand to be making an unlikely comeback. Earlier this year Cinzano, the sweet Italian vermouth best known for the 1980s advertising campaign in which Leonard Rossiter tipped it repeatedly over Joan Collins's bosom, brought out its first new product for 144 years in the form of SpritzzUp!, an alcopop-style Cinzano cocktail. A report by the food retailing bible, the Grocer, has found that in everything from crisps to hairspray, aftershave to sweets, so-called "orphan brands" - those makes of food and drink that have fallen from fashion, but never quite disappeared from the supermarket shelves - are staging a comeback. Britons may now believe themselves to be a nation of sophisticated chefs, but it seems we have never lost our fondness for the kitsch food and drink brands we favoured when we were younger.

"These old favourites do tend to come back in a cyclical fashion," says Sonya Hook, a drinks specialist at the Grocer and the author of the report, "but [manufacturers] have also perhaps enhanced the product and its image". Some of the brands have never gone away - Spam and Smash have actually been on the shelves, but out of favour, since their 70s heyday. But they are being given a revamp to take advantage of people's interest in nostalgic brands, Ms Hook said. Others are reinventing themselves include Mateus Rosé, which is undergoing an expensive relaunch, and Blue Nun which is popular again after the ultra-sweet German wine was revamped with a new image and an association with erotic underwear retailer Ann Summers. The revival, market analysts say, can be explained in part by the fondness for nostalgia among the key 30 to 45-year-old demographic. This group's sentimental fondness for the brands of their childhood also explains the revival of brands such as Brut aftershave and Harmony hairspray.

Fox's confectionery is bringing back the 1980s toffee sweet Poppets, with new branding incorporating a Rubik's Cube and a Space Hopper, while the crisp brand Ringos will also be reintroduced after a campaign by fans. "One of the factors which unites a lot of these brands is that they had extremely iconic advertising at the time," said Tom Blackett, group deputy chairman of the branding consultancy Interbrand. "Certainly Smash and Cinzano did; Mateus Rosé was one of the first popular mass market brands of wine. So it's very much a lifestyle thing, people wanting to buy a bottle of the iconic Mateus Rosé. There's always an abiding fondness for brands that were very great among those that can remember them." But if some manufacturers hope to cash in on consumers' memories, others are counting on a new generation of shoppers who don't remember the brands the first time around. The striking recent surge in popularity of rosé wine - sales are growing at five times the rate of red or white - has been explained by a new popularity among young women who don't remember its slightly naff image in earlier decades.

The relaunched Blue Nun, complete with a crisper recipe and updated nun logo, is targeted at the same expanding female market, neatly described by its manufacturers as "women aged 25 to 35 who drink a lot of wine but are not interested in complexity". Cinzano SpritzzUp!, according to its publicity, "is aimed at women aged between 18 and 30 ... who have probably heard of Cinzano, but have no existing heritage with the brand". "The people who have grown up with Cinzano from the 1970s are a bit older now; we have almost skipped a generation," Karen Crawley, the UK marketing manager for Campari, which owns Cinzano, said yesterday. "It has gone from grandmother to granddaughter." Lifestyle changes have also played their part. We are more likely, said Ms Hook, to host dinner parties and to drink at home rather than at the pub, meaning consumers are increasingly choosing to mix their own cocktails. This may also explain John Lewis's announcement in December that sales of hostess trolleys had leapt by 83% since the previous year. Nostalgia, however, can only carry a brand so far.

The Smash campaign of the 1970s may have been voted one of the best advertisements of the century, but a spokesman said yesterday that there were no plans to bring back the Martians. Joan Collins dismisses Martin Clunes as Reginald Perrin - Telegraph Mandrake Joan Collins dismisses Martin Clunes as Reginald Perrin Joan Collins and Leonard Rossiter made one of the great television double acts of the last century in the iconic Cinzano advertisments which always resulted in him spilling the rather naff drink all over her. Tim Walker 9:56PM GMT 16 Dec 2008 Now the 75-year-old actress is aghast at the plans to resurrect The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin with Martin Clunes taking the role that Rossiter made his own in the original 1970s television series. "I have not heard of Clunes and don't know who he is," The Sunday Telegraph columnist tells me at the 60th birthday party for Christopher Biggins at the Landmark Hotel, in Marylebone. "But there is no way that he could replace Leonard.

He is an irreplaceable comic genius." Related Articles Leonard Rossiter - Filmbug Leonard Rossiter Leonard Rossiter Leonard Rossiter was an English actor, most widely known for his comedy roles in two British television series in the 1970s and 80s. Rossiter broke into film roles with Billy Liar in which he plays the title character's boss. This brief role fixed him with audiences as an often flawed and inflexible authority figure. In Rising Damp he played Rigsby, the lecherous landlord of a house converted to a block of seedy bedsits. Another famous role was in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, adapted by David Nobbs from his own Reginald Perrin comic novels, in which he played the title character. In the 1970s he starred alongside Joan Collins as her bumbling suitor in a series of Cinzano commercials, in which somehow the drink would be spilled down the female character's dress. In the animated adaptation of The Perishers he provided the voice for Boot the dog.

His last TV role was that of the eponymous supermarket manager in Tripper's Day, an ITV sitcom which was not up to the standards of the shows he had previously adorned. He also played the title role in the short film Le Petomane, but Rossiter's most widely-seen appearance may be his brief turn as the Russian scientist Smyslov in Stanley Kubrick 's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Rossiter went on to play the memorable part of Captain John Quinn in Kubrick's Barry Lyndon (1975) and also appeared in Water. Rossiter died of a heart attack in 1984 while waiting to go onstage at the Lyric Theatre, London, where he was performing in Joe Orton's play Loot. He left behind his second wife Gillian (he had previously been married to actress Josephine Tewson) and a daughter Camilla. Note: This profile was written in or before 2005.

Leonard Rossiter Facts Leonard Rossiter.com: TV Career - 1970s Wednesday 18th February 1970, 9.10pm - BBC1 Written by William Trevor Produced by Irene Shubik Broadcast by BBC A junk dealer, Mr. Jeffs (Rossiter) has to act as an intermediary when a woman, Mrs. Hammond, (played by Isabel Dean, pictured) sells him a table and her husband buys it for his mistress. The woman then tries to buy it back. A relationship grows between the wife and the junk dealer, but he mistakes kindness for friendship. Co-starred Ronald Hines, Moira Redmond, Dorothy Frere. Leonard played the role of the junk dealer, Mr. Jeffs. Leonard's Role Remembered: "...He captured every nuance and was in fact one of the most brilliant actors I have ever had the good fortune to work with. I liked him as a person enormously. My mind is filled with affection and admiration." - William Trevor. "What struck me was his honesty. This quality seemed uppermost in his work and life. No compromise...He was a brilliant actor." - Isabel Dean.

Critical Review: "As a creeping, egregious and pathetic junk dealer who dreams of love and companionship which he can never achieve, he gave a performance of rare and tremendous power." - Jessie Palmer, The Scotsman. Notes: Broadcast as part of 'The Wednesday Play' series of dramas. Harry-Kari and Sally Produced by Verity Lambert Broadcast by ATV The story of an ex-Sergeant Major (Rossiter) who has homosexual feelings for a man at work, feelings that turn to murder when he finds the man in bed with his lodger, Sally. Leonard played the lead role of Harry, the ex-military man. Leonard's Role Remembered: "The ex-Sergeant Major offered Leonard one of his finest roles...Just as impressive was the amount of stress he could convey in a small scene on his own..." - Robert Tanitch. Critical Review: "Leonard Rossiter's Harry was an extraordinarily vivid piece of work which caught the devious, twisted mind, the violence behind the apparent ineffectualness with horrifying realism." - Jessie Palmer, The Scotsman. Notes: Broadcast as part of the 'Sunday Night Theatre' series of plays. Made in colour, but tapes only exist in black & white.

Thick As Thieves Written by Bob Baker and Dave Martin Directed and Produced by Patrick Dromgoole Broadcast by HTV A crime drama about a professional safe-blower (Rossiter) and his apprentice (Corin Redgrave). Eddie a safe cracker, is just released from jail. He has no money and his wife has kicked him out of the house. He hears of a job and teams up with a sorted gang. Co-starred George Woodbridge and Daphne Heard. Leonard played Eddy Dobbs, the master safe-blower. Notes: Thick As Thieves won the 1972 Royal Television Society's award for Best Regional Production. Leonard later starred in another Baker and Martin creation, Machinegunner , in 1976 Critical Reviews: "Leonard Rossiter played Eddy as a hands-in-pocket, marrow-cold little ne'er-do-well, whose every word was a cross between a snivel and a snarl. This was his best performance." - Leonard Buckley, The Times. "Rossiter's shifty, insecure, peg-toothed grin, was, like the locale, absolutely specific and therefore universal." - Philip Purser, Sunday Telegraph.

Steptoe and Son (episode: The Desperate Hours) Monday 3rd April 1972 Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson Produced by John Howard-Davies Broadcast by BBC Two prisoners (Rossiter and J. G. Devlin, playing Frank Arthur Ferris)) escape from Wormwood Scrubs and hole themselves up in the Steptoe's home. They soon discover the Steptoes' lack of food, heat and money, and decide they were better off 'inside'. Leonard played the role of John Spooner, one of the escaped prisoners. Watch a clip or buy the DVD Leonard's Role Remembered: "I particularly remember the second one where we did a pastiche of The Desperate Hours, based on the Edward March/Humphrey Bogart film from years ago, where Bogart played an escaped convict. We took the title and had these two convicts burst into the Steptoe's house. It was like watching two stags at bay. They brought the best out of each other. Harry [H.

Corbett] suddenly realised he was faced with a formidable actor, and Leonard realised that Harry was 'pulling all the stops out', and the scenes between each other were absolutely riveting." - Alan Simpson, co-author. Notes: John Howard Davies went on to produce Leonard again in the pilot episode of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. Leonard's outstanding performance in this episode was seen by budding playwright Eric Chappell. He became convinced he had found his 'leading man' for his first play The Banana Box. The character was Rooksby, later to transfer to TV as Rigsby in Rising Damp . This was Leonard's second appearance on Steptoe & Son. See also Steptoe & Son: The Lead Man Cometh Links: Wednesday 20th December 1972, 9.25pm - BBC1 Written by Arthur Wing Pinero Directed by Bill Hays Produced by Cedric Messina Broadcast by BBC A woman lies about her age in order to marry her second husband, thereby making her son by her first marriage to be fourteen instead of his real nineteen years. Her first husband (Rossiter) returns from India and the truth outs itself, despite her attempts to conceal it.

Leonard played the role of Colonel Lukyn. Notes: The play also starred Ken Jones and Michael Horden (pictured). Broadcast as part of the 'Play of the Week' series of dramas. The tapes no longer exist. Critical Reviews: "Leonard Rossiter took to the part of a military gent like a duck to green pease." - Leonard Buckley, The Times. "Leonard Rossiter treated us all to the odd physical jerks, mouthings and gesticulations that made the second half of his Arturo Ui unforgettable." - Michael Frostick, Stage & Television Today. Links: Produced by Verity Lambert Broadcast by LWT The exploits of a coach party on a day out to the Scottish Highlands. Co-starred Joan Hickson, Margery Mason, Gabrielle Day. Leonard played Mickey Grant, the obligatory life-and-soul of the coach party, chatting up the women and annoying the men. Leonard's Role Remembered: "There was always, in his best moments, a corner of desperation - not just comic desperation but genuine desperation. He brought a tragic dimension to comedy. He was unique. There was no-one like him at all." - John Gorrie.

"When I started writing, Len was always at the top of my 'if-only-I-could-get-him-in-a-play-of- mine' list. I loved the colour he brought to every part he played; he seemed to me to manage something very difficult and very rare - to bring the size and excitement of a theatre performance to the television screen, while always remaining totally believable...A superb performance - funny, bitter and moving, a combination Len could manage uniquely well." - Douglas Livingstone. Critical Review: "Leonard Rossiter is a past master at bringing this sort of horrifying character to life. He is the epitome of all the holiday bores one has ever met, and it is his particular genius that, in spite of the seeming grotesqueness of the character, he never over-plays it into caricature." - Jessie Palmer, The Scotsman. The Baby's Name Being Kitchener Thursday 26th April 1973, 10.40pm - BBC2 Written by Peter Everett Produced by Tim Aspinall Broadcast by BBC A Victorian costume drama in which an Army Sergeant (Rossiter) courts a rich woman while secretly being in love with her fifteen-year old daughter.

Co-starred Margaret Courtenay and Beth Porter. Leonard played the role of Sergeant Tax Leonard's Role Remembered: "He was a task-master. Rehearsals were never easy...but I loved working with him and learned a lot from him. He had an eye for detail..." - Margaret Courtenay (on the left in the picture). Notes: Broadcast as part of the 'Thirty Minute Theatre' series of dramas. The tapes no longer exist. If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have To Invent Them Sunday 3rd March 1974 Produced by Rex Firkin Broadcast by LWT A blind white supremacist (Rossiter) forces his opinions on others that a white transvestite (Richard Beckinsale) is really black, and decides to make him a scapegoat to British prejudice and ignorance. The blind man, however, suffers his own deep-seated horror that he himself might be black. Leonard played the lead role of the Blind Man.

Watch a clip or buy the DVD Leonard's Role Remembered: "He had those gifts of talent coupled with consummate craft skills that enable an artist to seize and hold the rapt attention of an audience...He had a unique, quite extraordinary vocal and physical presence; his body language was really outstanding." - Johnny Speight. Notes: With Leonard in the photograph are Bob Hoskins, John Nightingale, Lewis Fiander and Richard Beckinsale, prior to his long-term coupling with Leonard in Rising Damp. The Carnforth Practice (episode: The Aristocrat) Sunday 21st April 1974, 10pm, BBC2 Written by Allan Prior Produced by Colin Morris Broadcast by BBC The first episode in a series about a solicitor, the Honourable Grenville Carnforth, working in the Lake District of Northern England. He defends a gypsy's right to be a gypsy, but as the gypsy (Rossiter) struggles to avoid a night in a police cell, it accidentally results in the death of a policeman. The gypsy then commits suicide rather than going to prison. Co-starred David Daker, Michael Elwyn and Cyril Varley. Leonard played the gypsy, Aaros Boswell.

Monday 6th May 1974, 10.30pm - BBC2 Written by Charles Wood Produced by Herbert Wise Broadcast by BBC The Nazi-hunting industry's celebrations concerning the discovery of a notorious war criminal in South America receive a jolt when a rival candidate crops up in Munich. Leonard played the role of Lewis in the episode 'Mutzen Ab!' Co-starred Lynne Frederick, Robert Davey, Neil Hallett. Tuesday, 25th June 1974, 8.30pm Written by Roy Clarke Directed and Produced by Roger Race Broadcast by BBC A photographer (Rossiter) at an out-of-season holiday resort sets his eyes on making a successful model out of a local girl who works in a fish-filleting shed. Co-starred T P McKenna, Barbara Courtenay and Maggi Burton. Leonard played the photographer, Pygmalion 'Smithy' Smith. Notes: This was part of the Comedy Playhouse season of short sitcom pilots - one other in this series starred John Cleese as an updated Sherlock Holmes!

Writer Roy Clarke's earlier contribution to this series (on January 4th, 1973) was called Last Of The Summer Wine, which was subsequently made into a series and is now the longest-running sitcom of all time. Comedy Playhouse gave rise to many classic British sitcoms, including Open All Hours, Last Of The Summer Wine and Steptoe and Son. Although Pygmalion Smith never made it to a series, writer Roy Clarke used a very similar storyline in his 1984 sitcom The Magnificent Evans, which starred Ronnie Barker as amateur photographer Plantagenet Evans. Produced by Jack Crawshaw Broadcast by Thames Television In this long-running light entertainment show, a celebrity guest is surprised by the show's presenter (at this time Eamonn Andrews) and is taken away to a studio where family and friends gather to celebrate the person's life. Leonard was the surprised guest on this week's show. Not The Cheapest But The Best 21st April 1975, 8.30pm - BBC2 Written by Michael Andrews Produced by Tim Aspinall Broadcast by BBC Bristol A documentary about the great British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, based on his unpublished diaries and letters.

Part of the BBC's long-running Horizon science documentary series. Leonard played the part of Brunel in re-enactments and also narrated the documentary. Details unknown. Cast included Marjorie Proops, Pete Murray, Leslie Randall and Leonard's wife Gillian Raine. After The Solo Tuesday 25th November 1975, 9.35pm - BBC1 Written by John Challen Produced by Ann Scott Broadcast by BBC A 'Play For Today' about an unappealing boy (Nicholas Watson, pictured, with Geraldine Newman) and his nagging father (Rossiter). The boy has a superb singing voice but is about to lose it at the onset of puberty. Co-starred Gerald James, John Ringham and Jeanette Hill. Leonard played the role of the domineering father, Mr. Dawson. Leonard's Role Remembered: "Leonard Rossiter's power and range as an actor invested the part of the father with not only a sort of meanness of spirit and an obsession with discipline but also with a kind of dark despair." - Moira Armstrong. "I was especially pleased and grateful when I knew that he had undertaken the part.

When I thanked him for what I thought was a marvellous performance, he did not (as I'd rather expected) incline his head and receive thanks as his obvious due. Instead, he sat and talked with keen interest of the way he had gone about 'finding' this man, studying the speech patterns, developing the movements and gestures. Despite the bleakness of the character, he still found opportunities to demonstrate his comic talents when not in character...during a bleak little scene...a retake was called for and, instantly, brilliantly, precisely, he ran the scene through backwards as one might run a film in reverse...There was an explosion of delighted laughter and applause, and immediately he was back to the mood of the scene - cold, meagre, unrelating. The contrast was stunning." - John Challen. Rising Damp - Series Two November - December 1975, plus Boxing Day special Written by Eric Chappell Directed and Produced by Ronnie Baxter Broadcast by Yorkshire Television Widely-regarded as one of the finest sitcoms in the history of television, Rising Damp has its own own web site .

Machinegunner Written by Bob Baker and Dave Martin Directed and Produced by Patrick Dromgoole Broadcast by HTV A 'machinegunner' (West Country slang for a debt-collector), turns amateur sleuth but finds himself in hot water with local criminals when hired by Felicity Ingram (Nina Baden Semper, pictured far right) to unearth a race-implicated scheme for building developments. Leonard played the lead role of the 'machinegunner', Cyril Dugdale. Notes: Also starring were Kate O'Mara, Colin Welland, Tim Preece (later to star with Leonard in The Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin ) and Gay Rose (who starred with Leonard in Series Two of Rising Damp ). This was an award-winning drama and was released on video by VideoGems in 1985 (catalogue no. R1329).

Leonard's Role Remembered: "He was a tetchy perfectionist, impatient of laziness and circumstances in which he could not do his best work...He was also generous, very generous, and sharply aware of the strains on those around him." - Patrick Dromgoole Critical Review: "Few actors can be so superbly unsavoury, seedy, conniving and prurient as Leonard Rossiter." - Stewart Lane, Morning Star. Links: The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin - Series One September - October 1976 Directed and Produced by Gareth Gwenlan Broadcast by BBC Another of Leonard's legacies to television, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin has its own own web site . TVTimes Top Ten Awards Produced with Collett, Dickenson, Pearce & ptnrs. advertising agency Broadcast on ITV Leonard's first TV commerial. At the annual convention of a group of traffic wardens, the host hands out the award of a Parker Pen to the one who has given the most tickets. Leonard played the role of a traffic warden and 'awards host'.

I Tell You It's Burt Reynolds Thursday March 31st, 1977, 9pm Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson Directed and Produced by Ronnie Baxter Broadcast by Yorkshire Television An annoying know-it-all (Rossiter) insists the man he has just seen on television is the actor Burt Reynolds. He even goes so far as to ring the actor himself, just to prove a point. Leonard played the part of the know-it-all, Leonard. Watch it in full or buy the DVD Leonard's Role Remembered: "It was based on a friend of mine. Had to be right in everything. I came home one night and he was there and he said I'm glad you're home. Now, when I say to you 'Look at the television, I want you to look and tell me who I'm pointing to.' So I said Ok. Then he went 'OK, look now. Who is it?' And I hadn't got a clue, so he said 'It's Burt Reynolds'. And I said 'It's not Burt Reynolds! It's nothing like him!' And this went on all night.

Then he phones up the Daily Telegraph, because they were supposed to know everything." - Ray Galton, co-author. Notes: This was broadcast as part of the Galton and Simpson Playhouse series of comedy shorts. Co-starring with Leonard was his real-life wife Gillian Raine (pictured), plus Patricia Hayes and Roy Barraclough. Produced by Jack Crawshaw Broadcast by Thames Television Leonard was a guest as the profile show celebrated the life and career of Richard Beckinsale, joined by wife Judy Loe, daughter Kate Beckinsale, and colleagues Don Warrington (Rising Damp), Fulton McKay (Porridge) and Paula Wilcox (The Lovers). Arena: The Immortal Haydon 7th December 1977, 11.15pm ï¿½ BBC2 Directed by Nigel Williams & Leslie Megahey Produced by Alan Yentob An in-depth profile of Leonard as Benjamin Robert Haydon as he performs a one-man show on stage about the tragic painter's life and suicide. One of Leonard's great theatre performances, The Immortal Haydon has a special section on this web site.

Grandstand 20th May 1978, 12.30pm ï¿½ BBC1 The long-running Saturday afternoon sports variety programme. From 1.30pm, Leonard appeared in Pro-Celebrity Squash: The Rank Xerox Challenge Final , partnering Hiddy Jahan (then the world's No.5), and played against entertainer Tommy Steele and Mohibullah Khan. Cinzano commercials Directed by various Broadcast by ITV The hugely-popular Cinzano commercials with Joan Collins have their own special page on this web site. Rising Damp - Series Four Directed and Produced by Ronnie Baxter Broadcast by Yorkshire Television Widely-regarded as one of the finest sitcoms in the history of television, Rising Damp has its own own web site . Charity Appeal: Shelter 6th August 1978, 6.25pm ï¿½ BBC1 Leonard appeared in a charity appeal for Shelter, which had launched HEO (Housing Emergency Office) to accommodate families in properties which would otherwise remain empty.

Fearless Frank, or, Tidbits From The Life Of An Adventurer Wednesday 4th October 1978, 9.25pm - BBC2 Written by Andrew Davies Produced by Louis Marks Broadcast by BBC A dramatisation, in the 'Play of the Week' series, of the colourful life of controversial and outspoken author and journalist Frank Harris. It co-starred Susan Penhaligon, John Rhys-Davis and Denis Lawson. Leonard played the lead role of Frank Harris. Leonard's Role Remembered: "...He blustered, he cajoled, he buttonholed, he fawned, he raged, he leered, he revelled in the life he created as Frank Harris. His work was almost incredibly fast, neat and inventive, and yet he always seemed to have oodles of time to get it all in...Looking for comparisons one tends to go outside acting, towards boxers, bullfighters, the batting of Viv Richards. And the element of controlled aggression in this comparison is not fortuitous...he made a symphony out of this simple refrain ["Legs!

Legs!"], sounding it as everything from a joyous Basil Brush squawk to an infinitely poignant dirge for lost virility..." - Andrew Davies. "I remember Leonard as a rather shy person who had nervous energy blasting out of his eyes. When he started acting, this energy seemed to be harnessed and I thought the result was brilliant. I was terribly impressed by him and his overriding concern for perfection. He also made me laugh a lot. I enjoyed making Fearless Frank very much." - Susan Penhaligon Notes: There were plans for Leonard to star in a West End theatre production of this programme, but when it finally happened, it was Bill Stewart in the lead role. See the external web site below for more information. Produced by Deke Arlon Broadcast by Yorkshire Television A celebration of the song writing talent of E. Y. Harburg. The show was hosted by Ned Sherrin, pictured. Leonard played Groucho Marx, singing "Lydia, The Tattooed Lady". Notes: This song was originally performed by Groucho Marx in 'At The Circus', 1939. Beechams Silvikrin 1978 Produced by CLM Productions Corporate film.

The updating of the Silvikrin range of shampoos and hairsprays are discussed and illustrated for a corporate product launch for the 1980's in a spoof of `The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'. Includes 3 commercials at end of film. Co-starred John Barron and Wendy Richard. Leonard played a Reggie Perrin-type character. Sundays, 12th November - 17th December 1978, 9.15pm Written by Alan Coren Produced by Terence Baker Broadcast by ATV A wrestlers' manager (Rossiter) realises there is money to be made by rigging his client's bouts and, on the principle of 'all the world loves a loser', sets out to make sure his client Nigel, known as 'The Butcher' (Alfred Molina, pictured, in his first TV role) keeps on losing. Nigel, however, is too dim-witted to notice. Leonard played Nigel's boxing manager, Sydney Foskett. Watch a clip or buy the DVD Notes: This series was panned by the critics like no other Leonard Rossiter performance.

It came hot on the heels of the brilliant Rigsby and Reggie Perrin and was inevitably, and perhaps unfairly, compared to them both. Despite the top writing skills of Alan Coren, it was probably the situation - and not the comedy - that let it down badly. The first 5 of 6 episodes were found in off-air recordings in 2012 and are now available on DVD (buy at the link above). Episode 6 remains lost but the script is contained on the DVD. Critical Reviews: - "Here were the country's leading wit and one of the best comic actors and they combined to bore us to death." - Stanley Reynolds, The Times. - "Leonard Rossiter, who never gives a bad performance, comes very near to doing so in this lamentable series; in spite of the fact that he is working like a Trojan, he cannot disguise the poverty of the script nor can he enhance his reputation." - Bernard Davies, Broadcast. Leonard's Role Remembered: - "I was completely in awe of Leonard Rossiter. For me he was like one of the comic Gods. Just a brilliant actor. I was starstruck. He was very nice to me, very considerate. A hard taskmaster.

A tough guy to work with, but I loved him because he treated me the same. He didnï¿½t make allowances. He didnï¿½t give me the benefit of the doubt. He wasnï¿½t patronising. I was as green as a cabbage. And I remember being shocked by him. We were in a rehearsal and I was trying something, and he suddenly went, ï¿½thatï¿½s not funnyï¿½. He was quite brusque. I didnï¿½t say anything, but I wanted to say ï¿½what do you mean itï¿½s not funny? We donï¿½t know if itï¿½s funny or not. We havenï¿½t done it in front of an audience.ï¿½ I quickly went on the defensive, and then I realised, the second time I tried it - much to his disdain - that he was right. His instinct was spot on. So I did myself a favour and decided to trust it rather than fight it. Rather than letting my ego get in the way, I thought, ï¿½Iï¿½ll listen to what he saysï¿½.

I watched him like a hawk. And I learned so much: about timing, the way you can change a joke just by the slightest shift of emphasis. The slightest shift in the weight from one syllable to another. The way the coming together of energy and language and voice explodes. All those things come together to make a great comic moment." - Alfred Molina. Links: The Morecambe And Wise Christmas Show Monday, 25th December 1978 Directed and Produced by Keith Beckett Broadcast by Thames Television Morecambe & Wise were undoubtedly the greatest comedy double act of all time, combining hilarious sketches with comedy song routines. In this special edition for Christmas, Leonard joined the duo dressed as The Andrews Sisters in a rousing rendition of the Army song "The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy Of Company-B". Other guests included Jenny Hanley, Frank Finlay, Anna Dawson and Jean Hunt. Leonard's Role Remembered: "It was one of the very rare times that Eric and Ernie had actually been outgunned. They soon realised that when Leonard was going at full stretch, it was best to just stand back and wait." - James Grout, producer.

"He told me that Eric and Ernie had invited him onto the show, but he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do. I was working with Eric and Ernie on a couple of commercials at the time, so I said 'If there's three of you, why don't you do The Andrews Sisters?'." "They transcend the mime. I mean, anybody can mime, but they transcend it. It's one of the few times when I'm watching Morecambe & Wise that I'm not watching Eric. I watch Leonard." - Joe McGrath, director Rising Damp movie. Leonard played one of the three Andrews Sisters in a song routine. The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin - Series Three 29th November 1978 - 24th January 1979 Written by David Nobbs Directed and Produced by Gareth Gwenlan Broadcast by BBC Another of Leonard's legacies to television, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin has its own pages on this web site.

The Perishers Wednesday 21st March to Friday 4th May 1979, usually 5.35pm - BBC1 Written by Maurice Dodd (cartoon strip) Directed by Dick Horn Produced by Graeme Spurway Broadcast by BBC The popular Daily Mirror newspaper cartoon strip The Perishers, about a family of children and their clever dog, were brought to life for this tea-time animation series. Co-starred Sheila Steafel, Judy Bennett and Peter Hawkins. Leonard was the voice of Boot, the family's oh-so-clever Old English Sheepdog.

Question: Leonard Rossiter and Joan Collins advertised what drink in the 1970s?
Answer: Cinzano Bianco